


One Hell of a Drug

by Anonymous



Category: Band of Brothers (TV 2001)
Genre: Flirting, Fluff, Hospitals, M/M, Pining, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29929749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Shifty is stuck in the hospital, imagining Tab's smile just to pass the time. But then Tab shows up unexpectedly.
Relationships: Shifty Powers/Floyd Talbert
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9
Collections: Heavy Artillery Rare Pair Exchange 2021





	One Hell of a Drug

**Author's Note:**

  * For [masongirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/masongirl/gifts).



> Here's a little hint of post-war recovery, with Shifty trying to flirt. Happy rare pairs 2021!

Shifty blinks awake. He should be used to it by now, but every morning the antiseptic smell of the hospital cleaning supplies mixed with the faint tang of blood unsettles him. He sits up on his good elbow and turns his head to the side to see if there’s a nurse making the rounds. He could use a glass of water. 

The sight of the man sitting in the chair next to him nearly startles him right out of bed.

“Tab? Is that you?” Shifty asks as he sits all the way up against the headboard. It doesn’t make sense to see him, still in his uniform. He’s got no reason to be at this hospital. For a moment, Shifty figures he’s hallucinating. He’s had plenty of dreams featuring Tab before. During the night, with the faint sound of artillery as his lullaby, he would picture Tab’s smile or pretend to hear Tab’s laugh. You had to have something to take your focus away from all of the killing and help you drift to sleep, and Shifty didn’t really dwell on the fact that it was Tab's face that brought him comfort during those long nights. 

In the hospital, whenever they gave him morphine, the dreams were much more vivid and realistic. Shifty did start to feel a little guilty about picturing Tab in such a mundane, safe place, but he figured he’d never have to atone for his sins if he never had to see Tab again.

But now, Tab is sitting right next to him, looking pretty as a picture. His hair is long enough to hang over his forehead, and Shifty feels the urge to touch. 

Tab grins, the kind of wicked devil-may-care smile that always made Shifty have to look away to keep his own face from betraying his feelings.

“I heard about what happened and I figured you could use a friend,” Tab explains gently.

“We’re friends?” Shifty asks, bewildered by the word. Tab and Shifty had spent plenty of time together during the war, but it’s not like they had a choice in the matter. Now that Victory in Japan had been declared, Shifty had figured he’d never see any of the Easy boys again.

Tab shakes his head and laughs. “Of course we are.” 

Shifty looks down at himself and frowns. He still has a huge arm cast keeping his elbow at a 90 degree angle. He is wearing a tattered army green t-shirt. The white hospital sheets are tucked in around his waist, but he can see the bulge of the thick leg cast that is covering his right leg from shin to knee. The skin around his right eye and cheekbone are probably turning yellow by now as the bruises heal. He is sure he makes a real sorry sight. 

Shifty tries not to feel too self conscious. After all, Tab hadn’t come all the way over to the hospital to see Shifty moping around. “I just didn’t expect you, is all.” 

Tab wiggles an eyebrow and puts his hand on Shifty’s bed, just next to his hip. Shifty wonders what it would feel like if Tab just moved his fingers a little bit closer and touched him.

“They’re getting ready to ship us all home. It’s not fair that you’re going to be stuck here for a while longer.” Tab drums his fingers against the bedspread, and Shifty tries not to watch the delicate way his fingers move. “So I thought I’d visit. I’m in town for a couple of days.” 

“A couple of days? I bet I can come up with something for us to do,” Shifty says with a small smile. “They can even set me up with a wheelchair,” Shifty adds. 

“So, you’d be okay with me staying for a bit?” Tab asks, picking at the sheet under his fingers.

“More than okay. You’re always a welcome sight.” Shifty pauses once he’s realized just how much he’s admitting. But Tab is looking at him with a soft smile on his face, not angry at all.

Maybe it’s the morphine that makes Shifty feel like taking chances, or maybe it’s just the boredom from being cooped up for so many days in a row. Either way, he’s got two decent excuses, so he decides to stop worrying and just enjoy the company. The hospital had been lonely so far, and if Tab really is just here to see him, that probably means _something_. This might be Shifty’s last chance to flirt with the hottest guy in Easy. Not that Shifty had been looking. It’s just hard _not_ to notice Tab.

So Shifty plows on. “And I figure you’re plenty strong enough to push me around.”

Tab raises an eyebrow, but he’s still smiling. “Watch out. Now that the war’s over, I might go soft.” 

Shifty scoffs and reaches out with his good hand to squeeze Tab’s bicep. “I doubt it, but you’ve got two good arms compared to my one. I’ll take what I can get.” 

Tab doesn’t flinch away from his touch. They’ve shared foxholes and hiding places and been through hell and back together, so touching isn’t exactly a big deal. 

Except this setting feels more intimate. They aren’t hiding behind a building, or squatting under snow cover, or sitting hip to hip in a transport truck. There’s no one else around, and no bullets whizzing past them. 

Shifty pulls back his hand like he’d touched hot coals. 

When Shifty looks up, Tab is studying his face. Tab’s mouth crinkles at the corners, and he looks amused. 

Tab drops his voice to a soft whisper. “Don’t worry, Shifty. It’s not like any of the boys are around to see.”

And then Tab takes his hand off the bed altogether, and Shifty curses himself for being such a knucklehead. Clearly he'd startled Tab and made the whole thing awkward. 

That is, until Tab reaches across and covers Shifty’s good hand with his own. 

“The nurse still has to come check on you, right? I’ll ask her for the wheelchair when she gets here and we can go outside. It’s a beautiful day out.” 

Shifty is only half-listening to Tab’s plans. He’s too busy staring at Tab’s hand. Both of their hands are above the blankets, on Shifty’s stomach. Anyone walking by would see exactly what they’re doing. It’s almost as grand a gesture as Tab leaning over and kissing him on the mouth. And Shifty can’t quite believe it’s happening.

His hand warms up under Tab’s, and it doesn’t feel awkward or unnatural. It’s just special, is all. Different. Unexpected, but right. 

“Uh uh, sure.” Shifty nods along with Tab, and then turns his hand over to squeeze Tab’s fingers. “You should stay as long as you want.” 

Tab smiles, and this time he just looks content. “Yeah? Maybe I can help you with your PT.” 

It's probably silly to imagine a future where Tab tends to him and makes him laugh, and Shifty miraculously heals up quick as can be, and then they both travel back to the States together. It's definitely silly to indulge in crazy fantasies when he should just be focusing on doing what the nurses tell him to do.

Except it’s so easy to believe that everything will work out, with Tab looking so happy and hopeful while holding his hand. Tab’s presence is one hell of a drug.


End file.
